Chapter 57 - Nezuko POV

Nezuko POV

We were happy before with our life being simple where we were contained on what we have as long as we are together. However, nothing always stays the same and once our father passed away had caused my siblings to be saddens.

For me and my Onii-chan, Tanjiro along with my mother already understood it would eventually happen and I was there when he took his last breath telling us to be happy without him.

How can we be happy without him!? I wanted my family to be whole and stay till the end but it would be selfish of me if I made my father suffer even more. 

Even if he lived longer it would only mean he would suffer even more. It was frustrating but we needed to be strong for our mother and younger siblings.

I know mother would feel the same way and the thing I could do is help her the best I can. It was difficult even though a year had passed since our father and the atmosphere of our home was never the same. 

Until one day, my mother told me to gather herbs and found a handsome young man that I have never seen before. His delicate features made me breathless and stunned for a moment until I decided to speak with him as he appeared to be lost. 

I come to this conclusion when there's no one in the village that looks like him since I wouldn't forget a person this good looking. Wait what am I thinking!? I blush from my thoughts but it was true that his looks were far beyond average. 

He told me that he has been on a journey to find our Hinokami Kagura that surprises me. I didn't ask any more questions about him, which he happily told me.

I asked his name and told me that it was Ryuu. I wonder if he's purposely hiding a last name or doesn't have one. I heard from the village elder that there are some people who don't have a last name. 

It's always been my dream to learn more about the outside world but I also don't want to abandon my family because of it. I love them too much to leave them behind.

I never complain about how we live since it is enough for us but my heart still couldn't shake the feeling to see more in life. Listening to his story about never words and phrases had made me more intrigued. 

The time he cooked for us was something we never forget with his dish. It was beyond anything I have tasted before. He seemed happy seeing my siblings happy and I was surprised how well he interacted with them.

It's been a year since I've seen Rokuta, our youngest and most attached to our father, to get closer to him. I wonder what his reason for being nice to them is despite being strangers.

He spoke in a gentle and playful manner when talking with my sibling. We learned a lot of things from him and taught us how to count. 

Ryuu-san told us it was called math and explained many things. I enjoy learning from him and hearing his praises has warmths my heart for some reason. It made me want to receive more praise and learn more from him.

I once witnessed him half naked showing his attractive body that made my body feel hot. It was a strange feeling for me and I couldn't feel my heartbeat faster. After that, I found my mother was the same having her face turn red.

It confused me why my father was blushing but thought it wasn't portably strange to blush when you witness such an attractive body. He had spent weeks with us helping and teaching us everyday as well as playing games. 

We grew fonder the more time we spent together and made my heart pounding the closer I was with him. Then one day, spending nearly two months now, I woke early when I saw him outside doing something with the wood. 

My mother and sibling were still asleep but I decided to take a fresh and accompany him at what he was doing as I'm curious to know why he woke up so early.

"Ryuu-san?"

I called out as he turned to welcome me with a warm smile. He seems to be using his weapon to carve the wood into shape. 

"Nezuko-san? Why are you up so early?"

"I could say the same thing to you. Do you mind me sitting here?"

"No, not at all, I mean who refuses to sit beside you?"

I blush knowing that he meant I was beautiful. His smile alone made my heart and tried my best to control myself. I don't want to run away just because he complimented me and may think that I hate him.

Taking my seat, I watched him busily carve the wood making me wonder what he was making. 

"What are you making, Ryuu-san?"

"I'm making some toys for the others."

"A toy?"

I turned to see another toy that he was speaking of and never seen before. Our family doesn't have the money to buy toys, which is why I was interested to see them. 

"What is this?"

"That's kendama."

It is a piece of wood that  consists of a handle, a pair of cups, and a ball that are all connected together by a string. On one end of the ken is a cup, while the other end of the ken is narrowed down, forming a spike that fits into the hole of the ball.

"How do you play this?"

"Let me show you."

He stole what he was doing and took the toy to show me how to play it. I was embarrassed when I tried. It was rather difficult to play but Ryuu was patience and taught me quite well until I got the hang of it.

"Whoa! You're a natural!"

Ryuu praised me and found that it was fun once I've gotten used to it. Then I blush when I notice how close our bodies were to each other. For a moment, I played with it but stopped to watch him work as a single thought bothered me for a long time.

"Ryuu-san, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure, What is it?"

"Why are you so nice to us?"

It has always been in my mind how he was too nice and provided us with many things that made our life more lively. We were only strange with nothing to make him stay for several even after he got what he came for.

He was quiet for a moment seemingly in deep thought looking at the star that shimmered in the dark night sky. Looking at him made me mesmerize even more.

"At first I planned to stay on e I got what I came for but….all of you have grown fond of me and remind me when our family experiences the same thing as you. It's not a pity , I just felt close to you."

His word told no lie and made me saddened when he mentioned that he had been the same thing as we did. He also lost someone. 

"Also, I like kids and they are fun being around. I've always wanted young siblings."

I smiled that he held us within his heart and that he decided to stay longer than he planned. I wanted to stay forever and make us but I knew eventually he'd leave us and forget about us. It made my heart suddenly shaken by the thought of losing him.

"Are you going to leave us someday?"

It was selfish of me to ask it but I truly do not want him to leave us alone. My heart is already being torn by the thought itself.

"Maybe...I am unsure but if I ever do so I'll come visit."

'No! Please stay!!'

I screamed in my head but I didn't want him to hate me then as I was saddened felt a warm hand caressing my head and looked up to see Ryuu smiling softly.

"If you are afraid I'll abandon you then no I won't. All of you are already important to me."

I'm surprised that after two months of being together had already left a big impact on his heart. I smile under his caressed and silently enjoy the breaking of dawn with only the two of us.